Empire of Brazil (Global Progress)
Alexsander da Rosa (April 14, 1972) Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (computer science) Exército Imperial Brasileira (Brazilian Imperial Army) Força Aérea Imperial Brasileira (Brazilian Imperial Air Force) Armada Imperial Brasileira (Brazilian Imperial Armada) Guarda Nacional (National Guard) The Empire of Brazil (Portuguese: Império do Brasil) is the largest and most populous country in Latin America, and one of the largest — in size and population — in the world. Its territory covers 8,514,877 km² between central South America and the Atlantic Ocean, and it is the eastern-most country of the Americas. It borders Venezuela, Suriname, the British territory of Guyana, and the department of French Guiana to the north, Colombia to the northwest, Bolivia and Peru to the west, and Argentina and Paraguay to the south. Numerous archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha, Trindade e Martim Vaz and Atol das Rocas. A tropical climate is predominant. In the south of the country, subtropical climate prevails. Brazil is cut through by the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn. It is home to varied fauna and flora and extensive natural resources. Brazil was colonized by Portugal from 1500 until its independence in 1822. The Brazilian population tends to concentrate along the coastline in large urban centers. While Brazil has one of the largest populations in the world, population density is low and the inner continental land has large areas of low population. It is a multiracial country composed of European, Amerindian, African and Asian elements. The official language is Portuguese, and it is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas. Catholicism is both the state religion and the most widely practiced religion; however, all faiths are tolerated, and the non-Catholic population, particularly the Protestant communities, has experienced fairly large growth in the last decades. Brazil has the largest Roman Catholic population in the world. Brazil is a regional economic and military superpower. As one of the most populous countries in the world, and with one of the largest economies in the world, Brazil plays a fairly major role in the global community. Current issues of concern include a highly unequal distribution in income and land ownership, an escalating crime rate, and healthcare and education reforms. Government Brazil is a hereditary constitutional monarchy with the Emperor, as head of the House of Orléans-Braganza, serving as the chief of state and de jure (but not de facto) head of government. Executive The Emperor The head of state of Brazil is the Emperor, who possesses Poder Moderador (Moderating Power), i.e. the power to temper the will of Brazil's representative government. He influences the executive by indicating the members of the Council of Ministers, influences the legislative by being allowed to propose motions and having the power to dissolve it, and influences the judiciary by appointing (for life) the members of the highest court. The Emperor has power: to convoke the General Assembly in the intervals between sessions; to sanction the decrees and resolutions of the General Assembly, for them to take on the force of law; to extend or postpone the General Assembly and dissolve the Chamber of Deputies (but not the Senate) and call a general election; to veto legislation; to freely appoint and dismiss Ministers, magistrates (judges), provincial governors, and commanders of the armed forces; to conclude treaties with foreign nations; to appoint and receive ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives; to declare war and to make peace; to confer or revoke honors, titles, military orders, and decorations; to grant letters of naturalization; and to reprieve or commute the sentences of offenders. In addition, the Emperor is the de jure commander-in-chief of the armed forces. While the Emperor has more power than most constitutional monarchs (Brazil's political system can best be described as a "semi-constitutional monarchy," similar to the semi-presidential system of France, Russia, etc.), there exist checks on his power. The power to veto laws is not absolute, merely partial: if two consecutive legislatures present the same legislation without modifications, the Emperor's signature is not needed to pass it. The Emperor cannot conclude treaties or declare war or make peace without first consulting with the Council of State. Also, while it is within his discretion to appoint the persons of his choice to be members of the Council of Ministers, in practice the Emperor appoints the person who, in his opinion, is best able to command the support of a majority of the Chamber of Deputies to be President of the Council of Ministers, and appoints the remaining Ministers on the advice of the latter. Most appointments made by the Emperor are made on the advice of the Council of State, although it is technically his choice alone who he appoints. In practice, the Emperor performs mainly ceremonial functions, such as representing the state at the international level, presiding over the opening of the first session of the General Assembly, etc. Most day-to-day functions of the government are exercised by the Council of Ministers, the General Assembly, and the judiciary. However, the Emperor does serve an important role as a symbol of national unity, and he is expected to be impartial and non-partisan in the exercise of his functions. He is widely respected by Brazilians of all social levels as an enlightened monarch who reigns in a principled, rational fashion. The Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers (Portuguese: Conselho de Ministros) is the cabinet of Brazil, consisting of the heads of the executive departments (Ministries) they are appointed to lead. They carry out policy rather than create it. In addition to administering his segment of the executive branch, a Minister is responsible for advising the President of the Council of Ministers on areas within his purview. They are appointed by the Emperor acting on the advice of the President of the Council of Ministers and serve during the Emperor's pleasure. By convention, Ministers are always members of either the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate (in almost all cases, the former), and are usually dismissed by the Emperor if they cease to be a member of either body. The current composition of the Council of Ministers is listed below: President of the Council of Ministers The President of the Council of Ministers is the de facto head of government of Brazil. The political position of President of the Council of Ministers (often referred to by the press and the people as "President of the Cabinet," and by the international community as "Prime Minister") was first created in 1847, during the reign of Dom Pedro II. The President of the Council of Ministers follows up and ensures the implementation of laws, policies, directives, and other decisions adopted by the General Assembly; leads the Council of Ministers, coordinates its activities, systematically informs the Emperor of its activities, and acts as its representative; and exercises overall direction, subject to the Emperor's approval, of the country’s domestic and foreign policy. The written Constitution of Brazil does not require the Emperor to appoint a President of the Council of Ministers, nor does it provide for a parliamentary system of government; instead, it vests the executive authority in the Emperor himself, and stipulates that the Emperor is to be aided by Ministers that he is free to appoint and dismiss. However, Emperor Pedro II decided to appoint a President of the Council among his Ministers, to lead the workings of the government. He also chose to create a sort of parliamentary government, whereby the President of the Council of Ministers would be someone who could command a majority in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the General Assembly. Therefore, even without being required by the Constitution, the Emperor started to exercise his authority in a manner compatible with parliamentary government, only appointing as President of the Council of Ministers someone who could retain parliamentary support, etc. However, the Emperor did not become a figurehead monarch like other heads of state in a parliamentary system. The President of the Council of Ministers needed to retain the political confidence both of a majority of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Emperor, who actively scrutinized the workings of the government. Sometimes the Emperor would dissolve the Chamber of Deputies and summon new elections (a power he possessed under the Constitution), or dismiss the President of the Council of Ministers, due to his own political beliefs about the efficiency of the government. Thus, the Emperor would often dismiss a President of the Council of Ministers, and then appoint someone else from the same party. All this led to a succession of shortlived cabinets. The Emperor retained decision-making powers with regard to the signature or veto of bills passed by the General Assembly, and would not always abide by the advice of his Ministers. And that was seen as normal given that the monarch was not required by the Constitution to reign in a parliamentary system, and the establishment of one was only a limited and voluntary decision of Pedro II. Therefore, the parliamentary system voluntarily established by Emperor Pedro II was not identical to the standard of a parliamentary government with a head of state that reigns but does not govern, given that the Emperor retained part of the control over the daily affairs of his government. Thus, the parliamentary system that was put in place in the reign of Pedro II can be termed a "semi-imperial government," and can be compared to the political system of some republics, such as France, that are governed under a semi-presidential system, in which the head of state has more than just the customary reserve powers, but there is also a head of government who needs to maintain the confidence of the legislature in order to retain his office. This co-existence of a head of state with real powers and influence with a prime minister responsible before parliament was dubbed by many Brazilian political scientists as parlamentarismo as avessas (flopped parliamentarism), a criticism corresponding to their view that, in the parliamentary system of Brazil, the Chamber of Deputies was the weaker party, constantly being dissolved, and the survival of the cabinet depended more on the confidence of the Emperor than in that of General Assembly. The system has gradually evolved over time, however, and today the President of the Council of Ministers is responsible for defining and setting the general policy of the government, overseeing the activities of the Ministers, and administering the day-to-day functions of government. While the Emperor retains the right to freely dismiss him, he very rarely does so on his own initiative; most of the time, he will only dismiss the President of the Council of Ministers if the Chamber of Deputies issues a motion of no confidence, or defeats a confidence motion by the government. The Council of State The Council of State is an advisory body, appointed by the Emperor, which advises him on matters of public administration and foreign affairs. It can advise the Emperor any time he invokes the Moderator Power, except at times when he dismisses a Minister of State. Members of the Council of State are referred to as "His/Her Excellency," and they are subject to penalties if they offer advice with a view of de-stabilizing the state or opposing the law. The Prince Imperial of Brazil becomes a member of the Council when he reaches majority age. Legislature The bicameral General Assembly (Assembléia Geral) serves as the national legislature of Brazil. It is comprised of the directly elected Chamber of Deputies and the indirectly elected Senate. Suffrage is universal and compulsory (though rarely enforced) at age 18. Both literate and illiterate citizens are eligible to vote when they come of age, though only those who are literate are allowed to hold public office. Chamber of Deputies The Chamber of Deputies (Câmara dos Deputados), which has 512 seats, is the lower house of the General Assembly. Its members, called deputies, are directly elected by party-list proportional representation to four-year terms. Brazil uses the d'Hondt method for the election of deputies. Brazilian citizens aged 25 or older and in full enjoyment of their political rights are eligible for membership. The Chamber of Deputies is arguably the more important chamber of the legislature in that the Council of Ministers must retain the Chamber's confidence in order to remain in government. The Chamber of Deputies is presided over by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, chosen by the Chamber from among its own members; the current President of the Chamber of Deputies is Antônio da Costa Andrada. Senate The upper house of the General Assembly is the Senate (Senado), which acts as a consulting body to the Emperor. Membership is for life, and it is a place of great prestige. Unlike the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate cannot be dissolved by the Emperor. In order to run for office in the Senate, one has to be 40 years of age or older a natural-born citizen of Brazil. Electors are required to be natural-born citizens and must be at least 25 years of age. To be eligible to vote, one has to meet the same qualifications required to vote for members of the Chamber of Deputies. Voters do not vote directly for the senators; rather, they vote for candidates to be senator electors. Once elected, these electors vote for senator. The election itself does not turn out a winner automatically. The three highest-voted candidates in each circumscription make up what is called a "triple list", from which the Emperor selects one individual, who is then considered to be "elected". The Emperor almost always picks the highest-voted for individual, but it is within his discretion to select whichever of the three individuals listed he wants. Princes of the Brazilian Imperial House are senators by right and take their seats upon reaching 25 years of age. The number of senators per province is equal to half the number of deputies that province has in the Chamber of Deputies. At present, there are 265 senators, of whom 9 are Princes of the Imperial House. Like the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate is also presided over by a President, chosen by its members. The current President of the Senate is Prince Eudes Maria, a brother of the Emperor. General Assembly seats by party Judiciary At the national level, the Brazilian judiciary comprises the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, the Superior Military Tribunal, and the Superior Electoral Tribunal. Members of each of these bodies are appointed by the Emperor, usually on the advice of the Council of State, and serve for life. To be eligible for membership, prospective members must have practiced law in Brazil for not less than fifteen years, be Brazilian citizens, in full enjoyment of their political rights, and of proven integrity and good character. Supreme Tribunal of Justice The Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justiça, or STJ) is the highest court of law of the Empire of Brazil. It functions as a court of final appeal. Magistrates are appointed by the Emperor and serve for life. All judicial and administrative meetings of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice are broadcast live on TV since 2002. The Tribunal is open for the public to watch the meetings. Superior Military Tribunal The Superior Military Tribunal (Superior Tribunal Militar, or STM), created in 1808 by João VI (king of Portugal, 1816-26), is the oldest superior court in Brazil. It is composed of fifteen judges. The STM has jurisdiction over crimes of a military nature (mutiny, etc.) committed by members of the armed forces. Superior Electoral Tribunal Emperor Pedro III created the Superior Electoral Tribunal (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, or TSE) in 1932 in an effort to end electoral fraud and manipulation. The TSE has jurisdiction over all aspects of elections and regulates the functioning of political parties. Its powers include supervising party conventions and internal elections; granting or canceling registration of parties; registering candidates and certifying those elected; regulating and supervising party access to free television and radio time during an election; and registering voters. The TSE has seven members. Foreign relations to be updated Provinces of Brazil to be added Brazil (Global Progress), Empire of